A widely used type of multi-contact electrical connector comprises an insulating housing having a plurality of contact receiving cavities extending through the housing. Electrical contact terminals which have been crimped onto wires are inserted into the cavities from the rear face of the housing and are commonly retained in the housing after insertion by means of lances which are formed integrally with the terminals and which bear against shoulders in the housing.
Under some circumstances, it is desirable to provide an additional retaining means for retaining the terminals in the housing. When the terminals and the housing are both of relatively small size, the lances may not be sufficiently strong to withstand abusive handling and the terminals may be withdrawn from the housing as a result of careless or abusive handling at the time of assembly of the connector to the equipment on which it is being used. A separate retaining means is also desirable if it ensures that the terminals have been fully inserted into the housing during the assembly process; that is, if the separate retainer by virtue of its presence on the housing ensures that the terminals have been fully inserted, it simplifies inspection of the connector and ensures the technician that the connector is functioning properly.
The present invention is directed to the achievement of a multi-contact electrical connector having an improved separate retaining member which is assembled to the housing after insertion of the contact terminals into the cavities of the housing.
An electrical connector in accordance with the invention comprises an insulating housing having a mating face and a rear face which is directed oppositely with respect to the mating face. A contact-receiving cavity extends through the housing from the rear face to the mating face and a contact terminal is contained in the cavity. The terminal has a contact portion which is proximate to the mating face and has a crimp portion which is crimped onto a wire, the crimp portion being between the mating face and the rear face. The wire extends from the crimp portion through the cavity and beyond the rear face. The connector is characterized in that the terminal has a shoulder which faces towards the rear face of the housing and a terminal retainer is provided in the cavity which bears against the shoulder. The terminal retainer is a separate part which was inserted into the cavity from the rear face. The terminal retainer and the housing have interengaged portions which prevent the retainer from movement from the cavity. The retainer extends beside the wire and has a forward stop which is against the shoulder.
In accordance with further embodiments, the housing has a plurality of terminal-receiving cavities which are side-by-side in a row and are in a single plane, each of the cavities having a terminal and a terminal retainer therein. All of the retainers extend from a common support and the housing having a recess extending into the rear face thereof in which the support is positioned. The common support is rectangular and has first and second side edges which extend parallel to the row of cavities, the first side edge being adjacent to the rear face of the housing, the second side edge being spaced inwardly of the rear face, the retainers extending from the second side edge.